Thoughts, now that we've slept on it.

[Doomsday]

Have you come to terms with the loss?

On reflection it does seem to me that our offense could be and was shut out at times during alot of games - like it would just go to sleep for at least two quarters of most games. It seemed like it was way too easy for opposing defensive coordinators to give us something we couldn't rapidly adjust to and take care of, until either the game slips away or almost does. And this isn't just this season, it's the last several.

This seems impossible given the quarterback and the weapons he has. This should be a "pick your poison" type offense, not unlike the Dallas offense of the 90s was. But more and more it seems the opponent CAN pick their poison, and do well.

For example if they want to take Dez out of the offense, for the most part they have been able to do that. And that is unacceptable to me. It seems we still, to the very end, didn't have a answer for it.

This is all coaching. Failure to recognize and adjust to, things the other staff throws at you. Lack of planning, preparation, and self scouting.

Self scouting. Recognizing your own tendencies and finding your own weaknesses and vulnerabilities. It seems Dallas completely lacks any of this. All too often they seem taken by surprise when a opponent brings out something that's messing us up, and then are woefully slow to adjust to it, if adjustment is made at all.

It seems we simply can't think fast on our feet, we seem to get caught up in the "fog of war" syndrome. And at the same time, we never seem to do it to them - that is, finding vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the opponent, through scouting.

This is just the impression I have, what say you?

 

[peplaw06]

We missed way too many opportunities.

1. Not converting in 3rd and 1 in the 2nd quarter with 40 seconds left. Or at least not running the ball. If we run the ball and don't get it, if they don't call a timeout, the clock goes down to 3 seconds before the FG attempt and we go in to half either up 14-7 or 17-7. If they do call the timeout, they have one less after the FG attempt and cannot score themselves... still 14-7 or 17-7. If we get the first, we keep marching towards the end zone, and possibly go in to the locker room up 21-7, or at the worst 17-7.

Just as an FYI, Norm mentioned in his 5 important plays that Romo was hit below the legs after he threw the ball on the 3rd down conversion before this, which if flagged, would have put us at the 21 with a 1st down.

2. Not recovering the fumbled kickoff by Cobb. Were up by 8 at that point, and a recovery puts us up 15 or 11.

3. Murray's fumble. Up 4 at that point, should have been up 11 after he runs for the TD... or at the very least gets us in close to get the TD.

And... I'm not going to blame anyone for this because we completed the fucking pass to Dez... but Beasley apparently came open underneath after a DB blitz and would have gotten the first down on the 4th and 2. Hindsight 20/20, that would have allowed us to run more clock and give Rodgers less time to try to tie it or score a go ahead TD if we later scored.

 

[Doomsday]

Romo was hit below the legs after he threw the ball on the 3rd down conversion before this, which if flagged, would have put us at the 21 with a 1st down.

I was raising all holy hell about this one too. Shouting bad words.

You make very good points with the rest of your post too.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Overall, we lost to a better team featuring the best QB in football at their place. We played respectably, we just didn't quite get it done.

Biggest disappointment is that Rodgers clearly wasn't himself early in the game and we still lost. If he'd been 100%, I think he'd have eviscerated our defense all day long.

 

[peplaw06]

Overall, we lost to a better team

I think we were the better team yesterday. That said, with a healthy Rodgers that changes, and we would have had to win a shootout.

 

[VTA]

I’m sticking with my same complaint: poor coaching.
I don’t really care how the formation may have played out during season, but yesterday and last week, this pulling Murray on 2nd and short/3rd and short and lining up in an empty backfield is just plain crap. If you don’t trust the leagues leading rusher to get you 2 yards, and have to try and force it downfield, all while giving the defense the singular option of keying on your QB, expect to lose.

 

[yimyammer]

Have you come to terms with the loss?

No, I seem to feel worse as time passes.

No guarantee they win if the Dez catch stands and we score there but I think Dez and every fan (regardless of whether you love or hate the Cowboys) were robbed of seeing how this would have played out.

On the one hand I see a ton of situations that had they gone our way, we would have blown them out but on the other hand I see GB being a huge part of those plays not going our way and despite the Dez catch, the defense couldn't get the ball back to the O with PLENTY of time left on the clock. Plus an already deficient defense was hammered with attrition and had to roll out a rookie LB on an injured ankle and they still stayed competitive on fumes and smoke and mirrors. Even if they had pulled out the win, I think the defense would have been their demise eventually. So if I'm being honest, I feel like they just got beat and I put the blame on the offense, thats where the money and talent is and the defense, despite its vast inferiority did enough to give us the win if the offense had performed like they're capable.

It just hurts to come so close and know how hard it is to climb this mountain again, especially since free agency and the salary cap make it difficult to bring this team back next year much less make it better.

 

[Doomsday]

It just hurts to come so close and know how hard it is to climb this mountain again, especially since free agency and the salary cap make it difficult to bring this team back next year much less make it better.

And in this we see why Parcells hung it up, after that heartbreaker in Seattle.

 

[Midswat]

My thoughts on the loss hurts. That I felt it in my bones that we were going to get #6.

Usually the team that wins it gets hot at the end
Of the year. Well there was NOONE hotter than us. Offense was firing and defense was coming together. Romo had the best year of his career and Murray was killing it in the run game. This was our year. We were healthy and caught a dozen lucky breaks. Seemed like it as destiny.

To end so abruptly is shocking. Guess I'm kind of numb.

You'd think I'd be used to these disappointing endings to Garrett coached teams.

I think we don't get back to this level for a while. This was our window.

We had three chances to win it all with Romo... 2007, 2009, 2014. We failed each time.

Sure Romo is "only" 34 (35 next year) but he's an old for his age with a lot of repetitive wear on his body. Broke ribs twice, two intrusive back surgeries, broken collarbone. Will he get healthy and healed in the offseason - possible. But I'm not optimistic.


This was our year. We blew it.

I say were a 9 win team next year and back to reading/making excuses.

 

[dbair1967]

^ Disagree with most of that

The season ended "abruptly"? Really? We won a playoff game and gave the team many had as a Super Bowl fav all they could handle in their place.

What's different between 2009 and now is the age of the roster, that was a much older group.

How can you say "this was our year" when most (including you) thought we'd be a 6-8 win team at best?

Romo's health will obviously be key for 2015, but after two straight years of offseason back surgeries and being able to do little if any fitness training work, he will get a normal offseason and that could be key for him.

We had too many guys here in 2007-2010 that didn't care enough about winning and losing. Look at how those teams reacted to having season ending losses. This team is young and seems pretty hungry. There didn't seem to be a single player happy or satisfied with how yesterday ended, the loss clearly impacted them afterward. That wasn't the case a few years ago.

Lastly, other than the Claiborne move there's not been much they've done the past few years in the draft and free agency that hasn't been positive. Assuming that continues, the roster should be even better next year.

 

[bvhawkeye]

Not over it at all, totally got hosed by the officials on not one but two calls costing us 10 points and the victory.

Kuhn spent the entire game holding just as blatantly as possible, yet never got a single flag.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I don't know why anyone would think the 2007-2010 teams didn't care about losing other than it makes a better story for now.

 

[dbair1967]

I don't know why anyone would think the 2007-2010 teams didn't care about losing other than it makes a better story for now.

Gee I dunno maybe because "if that's the worst thing that ever happens I'll be ok" kinda stuff?

Hell you could see guys yucking it up constantly on the sidelines at the end of bad games, some of them were guys we thought were "key" players too

Was definitely a different atmosphere than when Jimmy or Bill ran things

 

[Sheik]

I don't think I'll get over this loss anytime soon. This year should have been special. Seattle would have been tough, but I think Dallas was good enough.

Mfer.

 

[dbair1967]

I don't think I'll get over this loss anytime soon. This year should have been special. Seattle would have been tough, but I think Dallas was good enough.

Mfer.

Compared to last 4 seasons, wouldn't you say this WAS special?

 

[Sheik]

I think it was a fun year to be a Dallas fan.

Special for me would be seeing Witten/Romo getting the ultimate prize.

 

[dbair1967]

I think it was a fun year to be a Dallas fan.

Special for me would be seeing Witten/Romo getting the ultimate prize.

Its coming Sheik. Trust me.

I'm all in on our prospects for 2015. Get Dez signed longterm. Upgrade on defense some. Keep Romo healthy= BIG season

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Yep, not trying to be a wet blanket or anything, but in the end a team with four All-Pros won one playoff game, a nailbiter over a sixth seed.

It's better than the crap we have been doing, and it was fun when we got on a roll, but in the big picture this wasn't particularly special, especially considering the history of the franchise.

And dbair, no, I'm not holding a dumb comment Romo made in a postgame PC when his dad was facing serious medical issues against him. I don't think he cares more about winning now than he did then, he's just more mature and experienced.

 

[dbair1967]

Yep, not trying to be a wet blanket or anything, but in the end a team with four All-Pros won one playoff game, a nailbiter over a sixth seed.

Not the first time in league history something like that's happened. All those all pros are on offense. The problems with the team are lack of overall talent on defense. Need more help there.

It's better than the crap we have been doing, and it was fun when we got on a roll, but in the big picture this wasn't particularly special, especially considering the history of the franchise.

Agree to some extent, but if you compare to recent history and then factor in the expectations, yeah it was pretty damn good.

And dbair, no, I'm not holding a dumb comment Romo made in a postgame PC when his dad was facing serious medical issues against him. I don't think he cares more about winning now than he did then, he's just more mature and experienced.

That was one example off the top of my head. Your local out there, I know you know all about how this teams perceived lack of commitment or ultimately how much they wanted to win has been questioned. And we could all see the stuff on the sidelines.

 

[Midswat]

How can you say "this was our year" when most (including you) thought we'd be a 6-8 win team at best?

This is a common line from homers and has been all year.

But what you, and they, are ignoring is that everyone (media as well) qualified those predictions with legitimate concerns over Romos back and our porous defense. No one anticipated Romo would not only stay healthy but have an almost MVP type season as well as Linehan bringing a commitment to the run game, in turn masking defensive deficiencies.

What I predicted before the season doesn't mean expectations can't change. There are four teams remaining, and we could beat any of them on any given Sunday.

The stars aligned for us this year and we blew it.

This was Romos last and best chance.